


Reckless

by orpheous87



Series: Drarryland 2019 [29]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Canon Divergence - Post-Hogwarts, Flirting, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Post-Hogwarts, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-20
Updated: 2019-05-20
Packaged: 2020-03-08 17:50:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,210
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18899629
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orpheous87/pseuds/orpheous87
Summary: Inspired by the Drarryland prompt: Harry promised he’d be careful and stop being so reckless in the field, so when he’s injured/cursed on a case, he seeks out the one person he knows won’t tell Ron and Hermione: Draco Malfoy.





	Reckless

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to the ever fabulous [Etalice](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Etalice/pseuds/Etalice) for betaing this and encouraging me to write even more than the 3k I'd already written! ❤️
> 
> If there are any formatting issues when you read this, please let me know, I've had a nightmare getting it uploaded properly! 😩

Wincing, Harry raised his wand and conjured his Patronus. “Tell… tell him where I am,” he ground out, knowing that the great stag would know who he meant. He watched as it turned and galloped out of sight before he let himself collapse against the wall. 

His right hand clutched at his left bicep, trying to stem the flow of blood. He knew he couldn’t go back to the office yet, not looking like this. Ron would come to get him for lunch, and if he saw him like this, he’d tell Hermione, and then Hermione would insist that he be benched, and there was nothing he wanted less. He’d go mad if he was restricted to his desk. 

Grimacing, he raised his head again, wondering what was taking so long. A moment later, the unmistakable pop of someone Apparating reached his ears, and he closed his eyes with a sigh of relief. He could hear cautious footsteps crunching over the broken glass and fragments of stone towards him. 

“ _Fuck_.” 

Harry couldn’t help but smile slightly at the sound of Draco’s voice. “I’m alive,” he mumbled, opening his eyes again. 

“How many times do you have to do this before you listen to them?” Draco asked, his voice full of exasperation and worry. 

“Don’t you start,” Harry groaned. “I was trying to be careful this time, I really was.”

“Mmhmm,” Draco replied, sounding exactly like someone who didn’t believe a word of what they were hearing. “I’ll take you back to the Manor. I can’t help you properly out here.” 

Harry nodded gratefully. “Please.” 

Draco shook his head and looked at Harry critically. “Do you think you can stand?” 

“If you help me, maybe,” Harry said, nodding. He didn’t think he’d manage it on his own, but if he had support, he was sure he’d be alright.

“This better not be another one of your plans to get me to wrap my arms around you,” Draco quipped, as he took Harry’s hand to help him up. “You’ve lost a lot of blood, what did they hit you with?” 

“Not sure,” Harry admitted, wincing again as Draco pulled his left arm up and over his shoulders, while sliding his right arm around Harry’s middle. “It was wordless, hence why it hit me so squarely.” 

“Great,” Draco muttered, shaking his hair out of his eyes. “So I’ll have to figure that out as well.”

“Sorry,” Harry sighed. “It was blue light if that helps?” 

“Well not right now,” Draco said, “but it might help when we get to the Manor. Is Side-Along okay?” 

Harry nodded. “Yes. I won’t splinch myself if you do it. Why do you think I called for you?”

“Probably because, for some unknown reason, you know I won’t breathe a word to Granger,” Draco replied darkly. “I should, you know. This is the fifth time.” 

“I know.” Harry said. “And I’ve appreciated everything you’ve done for me so far.” 

“As you should. Right, we’re going on three,” Draco said, gripping Harry’s side firmly. “One… two… _three_.”

With a pop, Harry felt his stomach start churning as they whirled away and appeared in the spacious kitchen of Malfoy Manor. He groaned as Draco deposited him into a chair. 

“I’m not cleaning you up in here,” Draco said, rubbing his arm, “I just need to make sure the elves have cleaned up the medical room.” 

“I still can’t believe you have a medical room,” Harry said, groaning as he clutched at his arm again. 

“It’s a bloody good thing for you that I do!” Draco retorted, his face etched with worry, despite his harsh tone. “Toppy!” 

A house elf appeared with a crack. “Yes, Master Draco?” she squeaked. 

“Is the medical room ready for us?” Draco asked, turning to look at the elf. 

“Yes, Master Draco!” Toppy squeaked again, nodding her head so that her ears flapped. “Does Master Draco be needing anything else?” 

“No, thank you, Toppy,” Draco replied, smiling slightly at the elf’s enthusiasm. “Although we might want a pot of tea in half an hour.” 

“Toppy will see to it, Master Draco!” Toppy bowed and disappeared again.

“Come on, Potter,” Draco said, taking Harry’s arm again and hauling him to his feet once more. 

Harry leaned heavily on Draco as they made their way along the hall to the medical room. 

“Can you remember anything else about the curse they hit you with?” Draco asked as he helped Harry onto the bed in the centre of the room. 

Harry shook his head, grimacing again. “Not really,” he said. “Blue light and lots of blood about sums it up.” 

Draco frowned and marched over to his bookshelf. He pulled out his wand and muttered a few words. A few seconds later, he lifted his hand to catch a book that had pulled itself from the shelf. Opening the book, he scanned the pages for any information which might help him. 

“Found anything?” Harry asked, turning his head to watch the blond anxiously. He was starting to feel slightly light headed from the loss of blood. 

“Just,” Draco replied, frowning again. “It’s going to be painful though. I think they’ve put a curse on you to stop your blood clotting.”

“Oh, great,” Harry grumbled. “Can you fix it?”

Draco nodded. “Yes,” he said. “Although it would really have been better for you to go to St. Mungo’s, you know.” 

“I can’t, you know that,” Harry sighed. “I’ll go and get checked out after you’re done, I promise.” 

“Don’t trust me?” Draco asked, raising an eyebrow as he soaked a flannel in warm water.

“You know I do,” Harry muttered, shaking his head. “I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t trust you.”

“I know,” Draco replied softly. “I probably should be more concerned about the frequency of your visits than I am.” 

Harry gave a chuckle, followed quickly by a groan. “Don’t make me laugh,” he said.

Draco smiled to himself and turned back to Harry. “Right,” he said. “Sorry. I’m going to have to get rid of your clothes by the way.” 

“You could at least buy me a drink first,” Harry grinned, watching as Draco approached. “Have at it.” 

“Careful who you say _that_ to,” Draco replied, brandishing his wand. He murmured a spell that stripped Harry efficiently, leaving him in just his underwear. Draco ran his eyes over Harry’s body, his cheeks slightly pinker than before. 

“You know those words are only for you,” Harry said, unsure whether he was still joking. “How bad is it?”

“Not as bad as I expected,” Draco admitted. “I think most of the blood on your clothes was from your arm. I don’t see any other wounds.” 

“It didn’t feel like that,” Harry said, his eyes closed again. 

Draco ran his wand over Harry’s body, murmuring diagnostic spells in quick succession. He studied the results and nodded to himself. “I actually think this isn’t as bad as it first looked. If I remove the anti-clotting curse, that should ease some of your pain I think.”

“Then please do that,” Harry replied, his face contorted in pain, “because it _feels_ awful.”

“You’re so demanding,” Draco tutted. “Lie still.” 

Harry tried his best to lie as still as possible while Draco recited the incantation to remove the anti-clotting curse. He felt the warmth of Draco’s magic spreading through his body and couldn’t stop himself from shivering. 

“Alright, I think it’s gone,” Draco said, performing his diagnostic spells again, “but don’t move yet.” 

“Why?” Harry asked, worriedly. 

“You’re still bleeding,” Draco replied. “I need to make sure there’s nothing else going on with your arm. Has the pain stopped?”

“Mostly,” Harry admitted, nodding. 

“Good,” Draco said, poking gently at Harry’s bicep and making a face as more blood oozed from the wound. “Disgusting.”

“Thanks,” Harry said sarcastically. “That didn’t hurt at all.” 

“Sorry,” Draco shrugged. “I just want to try something.” 

“Just hurry,” Harry said with a sigh. “I’d rather not have blood running down my arm all day.” 

“Shh,” Draco said, pointing his wand at the wound and murmuring softly. 

Harry felt more warmth enveloping his arm as Draco’s magic did its job.

Draco allowed himself a smile as he watched Harry’s skin knit itself back together neatly, the blood flow stopping. “Okay,” he said. “You can sit up now.” 

Harry pushed himself into a sitting position and examined his arm carefully. “You’re wasted, you know.” 

“What?” Draco asked, looking at Harry in surprise. “I haven’t had anything to drink.”

“No, that’s not what I mean,” Harry said, looking up at the blond. “You should be a Healer. You’re wasted at the Ministry.” 

“Well, thanks for saying I’m essentially useless at my job,” Draco replied dryly, though the pink tint that appeared on his cheeks told Harry that he was more pleased with the comment than he was letting on. 

“That’s not what I mean, and you know it,” Harry said, smiling. “You’re bloody good at your job, but you’re _amazing_ at this.” 

“Yes, well,” Draco began, blushing in earnest now. “If I was a Healer, I wouldn’t be able to take care of you as often, would I?” 

“Hmm, I didn’t think of that,” Harry replied with a grin. “I mean, not that I want this to be a regular thing.” 

“No, of course not,” Draco said, shaking his head and turning away to hide his smile. “That’s why I’ve seen you three times in the last three weeks. You’re lucky I work from here most of the time.” 

“I know,” Harry nodded. “I’m very lucky. I would never have thought this possible while we were at school.” 

“What, that we’re able to be civil to each other?” Draco asked, moving back to Harry’s side with the flannel to clean up the steadily drying blood.

“Well, yeah, but more that you’re willing to help me in this way,” Harry said, watching as Draco gently wiped at the blood on his arm. “I never would have thought I’d trust you this much either.” 

“No, that is a bit of a surprise,” Draco nodded. “We’ve both grown up, it seems.”

Harry nodded. “Apparently so.” 

Draco raised his gaze to meet Harry’s, his cheeks going pink again. “I sent your clothes to the elves to be cleaned,” he said. “I’m not sure they’re done yet.” 

“You just wanted to see me in my pants, be honest,” Harry teased, feeling his own cheeks heat up. 

“Oh, of course,” Draco replied with a smile. “Why wouldn’t I want to get a good look at this?” he asked, gesturing to Harry’s chest.

“Well, exactly,” Harry said, puffing his chest out slightly. “Not many people get to see this, you know.” 

“I must be luckier than I thought then,” Draco said with a laugh. He gave Harry’s arm one last wipe with the flannel before throwing it back into the sink. “You’re all cleaned up.” 

“Thanks,” Harry said, giving Draco a grateful smile. “I really do appreciate you not telling Ron and Hermione, you know.” 

“I know,” Draco replied, “but they’re worried about you, you know that. Don’t you think they’re right sometimes?” 

“Maybe,” Harry conceded, nodding his head, “but I enjoy what I do. Taking risks is… nothing else gives me that thrill.” 

“You’ve been single too long, then,” Draco said matter-of-factly. “There are plenty of things to give you thrills.” 

“Are you offering?” Harry asked boldly, gazing directly at Draco.

“Would you stop taking unnecessary risks if I was?” Draco asked, holding Harry’s gaze steadily. 

Harry paused before answering. “It would definitely give me more reason to, yes.” 

“Then maybe I’m offering,” Draco replied, trying to sound nonchalant. “I mean, it’s not that I mind you relying on me, but… you’re not the only one scared of Granger, you know.”

Harry grinned. “Well I can’t really blame you for that.”

Draco returned the grin with a smile of his own. “Yes, well… Toppy!” 

The house elf appeared with a crack again. “Master Draco called?”

“Yes, are Auror Potter’s clothes ready yet?” Draco asked as he washed his hands. 

“Nearly, Master Draco,” Toppy squeaked. “They will be just five minutes more.”

“Alright,” Draco replied, nodding. “Please bring them to us as soon as they’re ready. And then, we’ll take that tea.” 

“Yes, Master Draco,” Toppy said, nodding and making her ears flap again. “Toppy will.” 

The elf disappeared once more and Harry looked at Draco in surprise. “You were serious about the tea?” 

Draco nodded again. “With the amount of blood you’ve lost, you’ll need something sugary,” he said. “So why not tea and biscuits?” 

Harry flushed slightly and nodded. “I suppose you’re right,” he said. “Then I’ll really have to be getting back to the Ministry. I’ll need to explain how they got away.” 

“Presumably without mentioning me?” Draco asked, turning and leaning against the sink. 

Harry nodded. “I’ll go to St. Mungos first,” he said. “Get them to check me over, you know, for official purposes.” 

Draco nodded. “Maybe I should have left some trace of that wound…” he mused.

Harry shook his head. “No, it’s alright,” he said. “I know a couple of the Healers there. I’ll tell them most of the truth and they’ll know what to look for. I’ll keep your name out of it though.” 

Draco nodded. “Probably a good idea,” he said. “They wouldn’t be impressed with me doing all this when I’m not an qualified Healer.”

“No, probably not,” Harry said, looking around the room. “How is it so warm in here?”

“Enchantments,” Draco said, rolling his eyes slightly. “Designed to keep you at a comfortable temperature.”

“Oh yeah,” Harry said, blushing. 

“You’re so dense sometimes,” Draco replied, his voice sounding somewhat fond.

“It’s part of my appeal,” Harry said, getting over his embarrassment quickly and giving Draco a grin. 

Draco rolled his eyes again, but smiled. “Indeed,” he said. 

The next second, Toppy appeared again, holding Harry’s clothes. “Here be your clothes, Auror Potter,” she squeaked, bowing her head low while holding the clothes up. 

“Thank you,” Harry said, taking the offered pile of clothing with a smile. 

Toppy gave another squeak and bowed even lower.

Harry glanced at Draco in amusement. 

Draco shook his head. “Alright Toppy, you don’t need to bow so low,” he said. “Harry and I will be along to the parlour in a few minutes for tea.” 

“Yes, Master Draco,” Toppy said, disappearing with another crack. 

“Harry, now, am I?” Harry asked with another amused look as he pulled his trousers back on. 

“I can’t keep calling you Auror Potter, can I?” Draco asked, folding his arms across his chest as he watched Harry get dressed again. 

“Oh, I don’t know,” Harry said, a mischievous grin on his face. “I quite like it.” 

Draco raised an eyebrow. “Oh really? I’ll have to keep that in mind, then.” 

Harry grinned again, shrugging his shirt back on. “Please do.” 

Draco shook his head once more and looked down, a smile on his face once more. 

Once Harry was fully dressed again, he slid off the bed carefully. “So… tea?” 

“Yes, tea,” Draco said, pushing himself away from the sink. “Follow me.” 

Harry fell into step behind the blond as he led the way down the hall and to the parlour, where a small table had been set for two with a teapot and two cups. 

“I always had you down as a coffee drinker,” Harry said as he and Draco sat down at the table. 

“I am, as a rule,” Draco replied, “but tea is better for sharing.”

“Oh,” Harry said, smiling. “Fair enough.” He fell silent as he watched Draco pour two cups of tea from the pot. 

They drank in silence for a few moments, Harry savouring the taste of the tea. He took a biscuit from the plate Draco offered him, nibbling it carefully. 

“What will you tell Granger and Weasley?” Draco asked after a moment or two. 

“I don’t know,” Harry admitted. “I’ll have to think of something to play down what happened.” 

“How will you explain being away from the office for so long? Won’t the rest of your team be back by now?” Draco said. 

Harry shook his head. “There was no team,” he said. “Just me.” 

“Merlin, Potter! It’s no wonder you get yourself into so much trouble,” Draco replied, his eyes wide in disbelief. “Though, I suppose it does make sense why you called me if you were there alone.” 

Harry nodded. “I know it was stupid,” he said. “I didn’t want to wait for the team.” 

Draco shook his head once more. “That will have to stop,” he said. “I’m not prepared to get into anything with you if you don’t actually stop being so reckless. I don’t want to constantly be worrying about you doing stupid things like this.” 

Harry gazed at Draco as though seeing him for the first time. “You’re really serious, aren’t you?” 

Draco nodded. “Yes,” he said. “Harry, why do you think I’ve been so keen to help you all these times? I won’t tell Granger or Weasley, I promised you I wouldn’t. But if we start seeing each other, I can’t keep doing this. Do you have any idea how worried I was when I turned up and you were lying there, covered in blood and bruises? You looked _horrific_.” 

Harry chewed his lip gently. He sensed that this wasn’t the time to interrupt. 

“Look, this isn’t a declaration of love or anything,” Draco said with a sigh, “but I am interested in seeing where this could go. I just need to know that you’ll _actually try_ to be more careful when you’re at work, not just tell me you will like you do with Granger and Weasley.” 

Harry was silent for a few moments before nodding. “Alright,” he said. “It’s not that I do this on purpose though, you know that, yeah?” 

“I know you have some sort of compulsion to put yourself in inexplicable danger, yes,” Draco said. “You’ve had that since we were at school. It’s time you realised that you’re not invincible. One day I won’t be able to fix you, and… I don’t know how I’d handle that.” 

“I know,” Harry whispered, his hands clutching at his teacup. 

“Just… you know… think about being more careful,” Draco said, draining his cup. “And… if you’re still interested, how about you come for dinner tonight?” 

Harry blinked as he regarded Draco. Then he nodded. “I’d like that,” he said softly, drinking the remainder of his tea. “I suppose I should get going. I’ve taken up enough of your time.” 

“For now,” Draco said pointedly. “Tonight is a different story.” 

Harry couldn’t help but grin at the statement, and he nodded. “Tonight is a different story. Thank you for coming to get me.” 

“Like I would have left you,” Draco said, shaking his head. “Come on, I’ll see you out.” 

With that, they stood up and Draco walked Harry to the door. “Dinner’s at seven,” he said as he opened the door. 

Harry nodded, looking at the blond for a moment. Then he stepped forward and kissed Draco on the cheek, letting his lips linger. “Thank you again. I’ll see you in a few hours.”

Draco blushed furiously but nodded. “See you later.” 

Harry stepped onto the doorstep before Apparating to St. Mungos. He hadn’t expected any of this when he’d sent his Patronus for Draco, but he supposed that three times in three weeks _was_ a few too many times to call for the blond’s help.

***

At quarter to seven that night, Harry found himself once more on the doorstep of Malfoy Manor. He’d spent his afternoon explaining to Ron and Hermione that he definitely hadn’t been doing anything crazy while he was missing. He was sure that they didn’t believe him, but they’d let him go without too many questions, which he was thankful for.

Then he’d agonised over what to wear for far longer than he ever thought possible. _This is silly,_ he’d thought. _Draco won’t care what I’m wearing. He’s seen me at my worst already, and_ still _asked me to come for dinner._ So with that thought in mind, he’d dressed in one of his best jumpers and a pair of jeans that he knew didn’t have holes in. He went to the drinks cabinet and rummaged through the bottles, selecting one of the bottles of wine he’d been given at some point since the end of the war. He rarely drank, but people insisted on giving him gifts, and he was too polite to say no. But he thought if ever there was a night to drink a fine wine, this would be it. 

Raising his hand, Harry knocked on the door before stepping back to wait nervously. He wasn’t sure why he was so nervous, considering that just a few hours earlier he’d been lying in the medical room of Malfoy Manor in just his pants. 

“Auror Potter! Please be following Toppy! Master Draco is waiting,” the house elf from earlier greeted Harry enthusiastically as she opened the door. 

Harry smiled and stepped inside. “Thank you, Toppy,” he said, following the elf down the hall. “But you don’t need to call me Auror Potter tonight, I’m off duty.” 

Toppy led Harry to the parlour he’d had tea in earlier, finding Draco sitting not at the table they’d shared earlier but on a comfortable looking couch. The blond was reading a newspaper, and Harry took a moment to appreciate the sight in front of him. 

“Auror Potter is arrived, Master Draco,” Toppy squeaked, bowing low to Draco. 

Draco immediately folded his newspaper and stood up. “Thank you, Toppy,” he said. 

Toppy squeaked again and hurried out of the room. 

“I told her she didn’t need to call me Auror Potter,” Harry said, chuckling as he watched the elf leave.

“She’s old school,” Draco smiled. “You’ll forever be Auror Potter to her.” 

“Well, I suppose there are worse things she could call me,” Harry said with a laugh. His nerves were disappearing quickly. “Oh, I brought you this.” 

Draco took the bottle of wine that Harry was holding out. “I didn’t know you knew wine.” 

“I don’t,” Harry admitted, “but I have a cupboard full of the stuff that people have given me. I rarely drink in the house because I’m on my own and it seems a waste.” 

Draco nodded in understanding. “I know what you mean,” he said. “Well, thank you for bringing this. It’ll go perfectly with dinner.” 

Harry smiled. “Someone once told me that it’s impolite to show up to a dinner invitation empty-handed.”

“Whoever told you that was a smart person,” Draco said. “How’s your arm?” 

“Absolutely fine,” Harry said, glancing down at his arm. “The Healer said that it was indeed an anti-clotting curse but that there was also a trace of something else there. They weren’t worried though, said whoever I’d got to fix me up had done a good job of countering it. So… thank you again.” 

Draco turned slightly pink. “To say it was no trouble would be a lie, but you’re welcome.” 

“I know,” Harry said. “I’m more trouble than I’m worth sometimes, but I do appreciate you dropping everything to help me.” 

“Just remember what I said earlier,” Draco said. “I’m not getting into _anything_ with you unless you actually try.” 

“I know,” Harry nodded seriously. “I think I might finally be ready to be… tamed, for want of a better word.” 

“... I always dreamed of being a lion tamer,” Draco said, his eyes glinting mischievously.

Harry grinned and ducked his head slightly to try and hide his blush. 

“Come on,” Draco said. “Let’s go and sample some of this wine. Do you have work tomorrow?” 

Harry shook his head. 

“Good,” Draco said, placing one hand lightly on Harry’s back as he showed him to the dining room. “Neither do I.” 

Harry shivered slightly, not only at Draco’s touch, but at the meaning behind the words. He allowed himself a smile as he looked forward to the evening that lay ahead.

***

The two men made small talk as they ate, discussing work and Quidditch results, and before long, Harry was putting his knife and fork down.

“That was delicious,” he said, dabbing at his mouth with a napkin. 

“I’d like to take the credit for the cooking but… well, it’s all Toppy,” Draco smiled ruefully. “Would you like dessert?”

“Dessert would be nice,” Harry smiled. 

“I hoped you’d say that,” Draco replied. “I took the liberty of asking Toppy to prepare a treacle tart.” 

“You certainly know the way to my heart,” Harry grinned. He could feel his cheeks turning pink as he spoke. 

“I just assumed it would be through your stomach,” Draco said, smiling. “I remember seeing you eat plates and plates of the stuff while we were at school.”

Harry nodded. “It’s always been my favourite,” he said. “If yours is half as good as the one we used to get at Hogwarts, well, I might never leave.” 

“Hmm, I’d better let you try some then,” Draco mused. “Toppy!” 

“Yes, Master Draco?” Toppy squeaked, appearing at Draco’s side at once. 

“Could you bring dessert out, please?” Draco asked, looking at the elf fondly. 

“Of course, Master Draco, Toppy will be right back,” the elf replied, bowing once before disappearing again. 

“She adores you,” Harry observed. He found the elf very likeable. 

“She used to look after me when I was younger,” Draco admitted. “She’s been here for me ever since. During the war… she kept me sane while everything around me was going mad.” 

“You must have worried about her,” Harry said quietly. They hadn’t talked about the war yet, it had been the one topic he had been careful to avoid. 

Draco nodded. “All the time. She was good at keeping herself out of the way though,” he said. “She would seek me out when I was hiding away in my room… made sure _I_ was alright. If she hadn’t been here, I don’t know that I’d have survived that year.”

“It must have been terrifying, living here at that time,” Harry said. “I… I was worried about you, that day the Snatchers brought me here. You looked so… broken.” 

“I was… for a while,” Draco said. “Until I saw you finish him off. Then I felt like I could breathe again.” 

“I think we all felt like that,” Harry smiled slightly. “It was something I was worried wouldn’t happen, though.” 

“Everyone had faith in you… even me,” Draco said in a soft voice. “I’d long ago realised that you were our only hope.”

“Well, I’m glad I didn’t let everyone down,” Harry replied, giving another small smile.

“Here be dessert, sirs!” Toppy announced with a squeak before Draco could say anything else. 

“Thank you, Toppy,” Draco smiled as the elf placed the two plates in front of them. “That’s all for tonight.” 

Toppy bowed once more and disappeared again. 

Harry smiled at the elf’s antics. 

“She gets quite giddy, sometimes,” Draco said, shaking his head. “When we’re done, we can retire to the lounge with the rest of the wine and the other elves will clear up here.” 

“Sounds good,” Harry nodded. “How many elves do you have here?” 

“Not as many as we used to,” Draco answered, pouring some cream onto his slice of treacle tart. “Some of them… some of them didn’t survive the war.” 

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Harry said seriously. He, too, poured some cream from the small jug on the side of his plate. 

Draco shook his head. “We celebrate their lives on the anniversary,” he said, “but life has to go on.”

Harry nodded, taking a bite of the treacle tart. He was unable to stop the small moan from escaping as he savoured the taste. 

Draco looked on in amusement, licking his lips. 

“Sorry,” Harry said, flushing slightly as he realised Draco was watching him. “It, er, well…” 

“Looks like you’re staying, then,” Draco smirked, taking a bite of his own tart. 

Harry blushed furiously but couldn’t help the smile that formed on his lips.

Within five minutes, every bit of the treacle tart had been eaten and Draco had hidden several smiles as Harry had continued to make odd little moans of pleasure while eating.

“Shall we?” Draco gestured to the door as Harry laid his fork down for the last time. 

Harry nodded. “Lets.” 

Draco stood up, waiting for Harry to do the same before placing his hand once more on the small of the other man’s back to guide him out of the room. 

Making their way into the lounge, Harry found himself wondering when exactly his life had taken this turn. He allowed Draco to guide him to one of the sofas and perched himself on the cushion. The nerves that had disappeared earlier had made a sudden return. 

Draco poured them both another glass of wine before sitting down beside Harry. “So… any regrets about coming for dinner?”

Harry shook his head. “None at all,” he said softly, taking a sip of wine.

“I’m glad to hear it,” Draco smiled, sipping from his own glass. 

“If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were planning this all along,” Harry said, his eyes searching the blond’s.

“I would never plan for you to get injured this often,” Draco replied in a non-committal tone.

“Not that,” Harry chuckled softly. 

“My feelings for you started a long time ago,” Draco admitted, not breaking Harry’s gaze. “Long before the war. I hid them because I didn’t understand them. I wasn’t supposed to fall for you.” 

Harry shifted slightly. “We weren’t supposed to fall for each other, you mean.” 

Draco’s eyes widened slightly. “What?”

“Why do you think I paid such close attention to what you were doing in sixth year?” Harry sighed. “I couldn’t just ask you what you were up to, you’d never have trusted me… or at least, that’s what I thought.” 

Draco gave a disbelieving laugh. “We’re both idiots.” 

“Apparently,” Harry smiled. 

“So… what do you say we make up for lost time?” Draco asked, his eyes searching Harry’s this time. 

“I thought you’d never ask,” Harry mumbled. He closed the gap between them and captured Draco’s lips with his own, pouring as much feeling into the kiss as he could. He didn’t remember putting his wine glass down, but he supposed he must have because now both of his hands were holding onto Draco as though afraid the blond was going to disappear. 

Breaking the kiss, Draco pressed his forehead to Harry’s, breathing hard. He could feel the frame of Harry’s glasses, cool metal against warm skin, noses bumping against each other. One of his hands was tangled in the dark, messy hair, the other resting on Harry’s cheek. 

“Wow…” Harry breathed, his eyes still closed. He knew it was silly, but he was afraid that if he opened them, the whole evening would have been a dream. 

“Indeed,” Draco whispered, his breath fogging the lenses of Harry’s glasses lightly. “You sure you don’t have work tomorrow?”

“Positive,” Harry replied. 

“Good,” Draco replied before tightening his grip on Harry and Apparating them to the bedroom.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and kudos will always be appreciated!


End file.
